Michel Serrault | Leading French actor, 79

French actor Michel Serrault, 79, whose hit performance as a transvestite in the film and stage versions of

La Cage Aux Folles

(The Birdcage) catapulted him to international stardom, died Sunday of cancer.

Mr. Serrault appeared in more than 130 films during a career that spanned half a century. After debuting as a comic actor, he became one of France's most versatile stars, playing a serial killer, a grizzled farmer, a crooked banker and accused rapist.

He initially set his sights on the priesthood, briefly entering a seminary. He dropped out, he later explained, because of the vow of chastity. After studying acting in Paris, he began his stage career playing in cabarets.

It was his role as flamboyant gay nightclub owner Albin Mougeotte, also known as Zaza Napoli, in the theater and film versions of La Cage Aux Folles that catapulted him to fame worldwide. His performance in the 1978 movie won him the first of three Cesar awards, the French version of the Oscar. - AP